Recently we heard Carsten Kwirandt’s perspective on Alphabet’s new marketing campaign. Today, I’m following up on the topic by speaking with Uwe Hildinger. As Chief Sales Officer, he sees the new campaign from the client perspective as well as that of Alphabet headquarters. Moreover, his years of experience at Alphabet Germany give him first-hand insights into local markets and their requirements. His biggest asset in a nutshell: he knows our clients and what it means to operate globally and locally. Let’s hear his perspective on the campaign and how it addresses companies’ mobility needs.
Thanks for taking time to speak with me today. Let’s jump right into the topic. In the new campaign, an engineer and catering team are shown. How come?
What we express in the campaign is that we are the right partner for businesses big and small. However, most large companies already know how they can benefit from us as a partner and provider of mobility solutions. After all, managing 1,000+ cars ties up a lot of resources, which could otherwise be used to build and grow their business. The advantages are less obvious to small and medium businesses, despite the fact that they stand to gain a lot. Often they simply don’t realise that a mobility company like Alphabet is cost efficient – even for small businesses! – and that leasing over buying has a lot of benefits.
Mario and Stefano guard Grandma's recipe. We help them get it out before it gets cold.
Example of advert for medium and small businesses
Moreover, small businesses aren’t aware that they have a lot to gain from our consulting services and best practices, both long proven in large companies, to optimise their mobility solution. Both the caterer around the corner and engineer across town can profit from our economies of scale when we negotiate attractive conditions and pass them on to our clients. We want businesses of all sizes to enjoy a cost-effective solution and the perks of a modern fleet.
Which role do small and medium-sized companies currently play in the fleet sector? Are they becoming more relevant?
Definitely. It’s true that in the past fleet and leasing products were more geared toward companies requiring larger quantities. But now, with megatrends like urbanisation, automatisation and digitalisation on the rise, small businesses also request a solution that’s up to par. They want to benefit just as much as the big ones.
Ultimately, we see how mobility demands for all companies – small, medium and large – are growing and evolving, though sometimes in different ways. Currently, larger businesses are drawn to further internationalisation and adoption of new mobility solutions. Small and medium businesses are also open to new mobility solutions, such as corporate carsharing. An on-demand fleet shared amongst employees is a huge opportunity for smaller companies in which individual company cars are out of the question.
Example of a banner advert for medium and small corporations addressing innovative products
The number of employees and cars vary enormously between micro-companies and large enterprises. When should a company contact Alphabet?
As soon as they have started their business! Today, all businesses – from a 1-man or 1-woman show to a 100,000-person company – strive to be more efficient and to invest wisely. Our expertise in the leasing sector can potentially help each one of them. We always take company-specific requirements into account, no matter the number of employees and locations. If a company only operates in one country, we encourage them to reach out to the local Alphabet office. Companies with multinational activities and a large fleet are best served by the dedicated team at our headquarters in Munich. In this case, from our main office we work closely with local Alphabet branches to provide clients customised mobility solutions that are harmonised internationally.
In fact, our clients find working with the Alphabet International Sales team to be a pleasant experience. For instance, we always start by learning about a prospective client’s mobility status quo and needs. After we get the ball rolling, we have processes in place to ensure everything runs smoothly. We also maintain a close relationship with colleagues in the markets so enterprises can also take advantage of our global leasing know-how on a local level. As we offer cars and vans of all makes and models, companies truly get what best suits their requirements.
Example of a banner advert for large corporations
All this brings us to our new campaign and the tagline: ‘Driving your business’. What do we mean by this? Because our clients get tailor-made, hassle-free and cost-effective mobility solutions, they have more time to focus on growing their business. We believe each company should be able to concentrate on what they do best. For us, this means offering expertise in Business Mobility, nationally and internationally. For our clients this means everything from cooking meals, to baking cupcakes, to building cabinets, to engineering software.
Are there certain products and services, which are more attractive for companies of certain sizes?
Generally speaking, large enterprises are attracted to our multi-make portfolio and selection of LCVs and innovations and outstanding quality and service. Also, the fact that we customise every product and service, down to the last detail, and are a full-service company is highly appreciated. For those scrutinising the bottom line, our competitive total cost of ownership (TCO) wins big points. It’s similar for medium-sized companies, though these clients also utilise our short-term rental and sale & leaseback offers.
On the other hand, small and micro businesses really appreciate the little extras: customised services; add-on services such as insurance, repairs, fuel, great customer service, the same tax breaks as large customers and finally the benefit of the economies of scale. All this goes to show: we really have something for every business, big or small, which is exactly what we try to highlight in our new campaign.
